Copy and paste this worksheet as a separate page linked to the Homepage of your portfolio. DO NOT type your answers on THIS document because it needs to be used by other students. The title of your page which replies to these questions is linked to your portfolio and should begin with the first initials of your first and last name. (In my case, the link to this worksheet from my portfolio page would read frexecution.)
You may earn a maximum of 3 points toward your final grade by doing the above and answering the questions and submitting them ontime (no later than Friday, September 22). Any worksheets submitted after the deadline will get a 0.
You will be rewarded a maximum of 3 points if I judge your work to be above average. You will receive 2 points if your work is average, that is it may have a few minor mistakes in some of the answers but demonstrates correct grammer and indicates that some, but not all, of the answers, are acceptable and well expressed. You will earn only 1 point if you simply answered the questions and/or if you use poor grammar and if there are signs that you have not read the material on which your answers are based.
Note: The dramatic action in this play does not flow in the same manner as that in Trifles, Wedding Band, Real Women Have Curves, and Split Second. For one thing, Mann has built her play around interviews with individuals who lived thru the incidents depicted in the play, such as friends of Milk, reporters who covered the trial, even jurors who spoke out after the trial was over. This approach to the construction of a play is unique and often challenging to readers. It generally works well on the stage but not so well in the study. We see another playwright use this technique with very different results in Fires in the Mirror. So, the questions posed about the construction of the play do not easily follow Ball’s method of analysis.
1. You may identify the stasis in the play but it isn’t necessarily at the beginning of the play. Where is it and who does it involve?
Execution of Justice takes place in San Francisco during the year 1978. The play takes place during the trial of Dan White, the former San Francisco City Supervisor. During the play, White is currently on trial for the murder of former Mayor, George Moscone and former San Francisco City Supervisor and Representative, Harvey Milk. Milk was the first openly gay politician elected to office in San Francisco and one of the very first openly gay elected officials in the nation. The play centers around the charters involved during the trial of Dan White including Dan White himself. Other characters seen throughout the show include Dan's wife, Mary Anne White; the Court or the Judge; Douglas Schmidt, Dan White's attorney; Thomas F. Norman, the prosecuting attorney; Joan Lu, a television reporter; among a choir of other characters. Various other characters include: Cop, Sister Boom Boom, Jim Denman, Young Mother, Moscone's Friend, Milk's Friend, Frank Falzon, Cyr Copertini, various Psychiatrists, and a plethora of other Witnesses for the People and for the Defense. The play takes place in the San Francisco City Courthouse and recounts the vents of the infamous trial using documented commentaries from the real life participants of the trial.
2. Ball points out that the intrusion sometimes occurs late in the dramatic action. What is the intrusion that breaks the stasis in Execution of Justice and how is it broken?
The intrusion of Execution of Justice is a little hard to determine due to its document based nature. However, the intrusion of the play is arguable the testimony of Frank Falzon and the playing of the tape that was recorded during his interrogation of Dan White. This event that occurs at the end of the First Act can be defined as the intrusion because it acts as catalyst that leads into the rest of the dramatic action that propels the play to answer the dramatic question: will Dan White be convicted of first degree murder for the deaths of George Moscone and Harvey Milk? The playing of this audio is the beginning of the evidence that eventually justifies the jury in convicting White with voluntary manslaughter rather than murder in the first degree. Prior to this point in the play, the action remains unchanged as the characters are used to primarily narrate the events of the murder on November 27, 1978. However, upon the playing of the tape, the play begins to document the defense of murder which eventually leads to the plays conclusion and the voluntary manslaughter verdict. Due to the fact that the action of the play finally begins to pick up and change from the stasis of illustrating the events of the day leading up to the murder, to the actual defense of the murder, it can assumed that the playing of the recording of Dan White's interrogation acts as the play's intrusion.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor that is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place? Hint: what is the heart of the play? How does the title figure in this?
This is the day that Dan White, the former San Francisco City Supervisor, goes on trial for the murder of former Mayor George Moscone and former City Supervisor Harvey Milk, eventually being convicted of voluntary manslaughter and being sentenced to seven years and eight months for the two murders. This acts as a unique factor since the verdict led to riots and protests throughout San Francisco spear-headed by the gay and LGBT community in the Castro neighborhood. Some speculation has been made as to whether a bias and conservative jury led to the voluntary manslaughter verdict due to Harvey Milk's sexual orientation. This is important to note because in the 1970's, having an openly gay elected official was unheard of before Harvey Milk was elected. During this time there was a lot of hostility towards the gay community and the verdict, some speculate, could be a reflection of that hostility.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
The dramatic question of Execution of Justice is will Dan White be convicted with first degree murder in the deaths of Harvey Milk and George Moscone? The intrusion, the playing of White's reordered interrogation, leads the jury to reevaluate the evidence and come to the conclusion that White is innocent of murder in the first degree and decide to instead convict White with voluntary manslaughter, sentencing him to seven years and eight months in jail for the two murders.
5. Use the two lawyers to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, ie. The dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what these particular characters wants. The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles facing each of the lawyers.
The most obvious conflict is the conflict between Schmidt, the defense attorney, and Norman, the prosecuting attorney. This conflict is clearly illustrated through the trial and the various differing opinions of the two men in trying to make it clear to the jury of their side's point. The individual vs. individual conflict is also highlighted through the conflict of Dan White vs. the San Francisco community. Dan White faced animosity from all different groups in the San Francisco due to his actions in killing some of the most celebrated members of the city's community. The conflict and animosity a highlighted by the commentaries of Sister Boom Boom, Moscone's friend, and Milk's friend, all illustrate popular beliefs held by many in the community during, and after the trial of Dan White. The inner conflict between the witnesses, including Mary Anne White, Dan's wife, can be seen as they are forced to make the difficult decision between staying loyal to their friends or telling the truth in court, even if it means potentially betraying their friends and family.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Execution of Justice.
The most theatrical moment in Execution of Justice is the moment that the verdict is revealed. This is the most dramatic moment of the play seeing as the overwhelming majority of not only the people involved in the trial, but also all of the people of San Francisco believed that the verdict would be guilty of first degree murder. The dramatic conclusion and reveal of the voluntary manslaughter verdict is made theatrical through its description of the weeping and facial reactions of both Dan and Mary Anne White. Other theatrical elements are established through the layering of the various characters and their reactions that are ultimately expressed at the same time that the verdict is revealed. Through the reactions of all of the other characters to the verdict of the trial, the sentiments of the people of San Francisco are expressed through the theatricality of the scene.
Copy and paste this worksheet as a separate page linked to the Homepage of your portfolio. DO NOT type your answers on THIS document because it needs to be used by other students. The title of your page which replies to these questions is linked to your portfolio and should begin with the first initials of your first and last name. (In my case, the link to this worksheet from my portfolio page would read frexecution.)
You may earn a maximum of 3 points toward your final grade by doing the above and answering the questions and submitting them ontime (no later than Friday, September 22). Any worksheets submitted after the deadline will get a 0.
You will be rewarded a maximum of 3 points if I judge your work to be above average. You will receive 2 points if your work is average, that is it may have a few minor mistakes in some of the answers but demonstrates correct grammer and indicates that some, but not all, of the answers, are acceptable and well expressed. You will earn only 1 point if you simply answered the questions and/or if you use poor grammar and if there are signs that you have not read the material on which your answers are based.
Note: The dramatic action in this play does not flow in the same manner as that in Trifles, Wedding Band, Real Women Have Curves, and Split Second. For one thing, Mann has built her play around interviews with individuals who lived thru the incidents depicted in the play, such as friends of Milk, reporters who covered the trial, even jurors who spoke out after the trial was over. This approach to the construction of a play is unique and often challenging to readers. It generally works well on the stage but not so well in the study. We see another playwright use this technique with very different results in Fires in the Mirror. So, the questions posed about the construction of the play do not easily follow Ball’s method of analysis.
1. You may identify the stasis in the play but it isn’t necessarily at the beginning of the play. Where is it and who does it involve?
Execution of Justice takes place in San Francisco during the year 1978. The play takes place during the trial of Dan White, the former San Francisco City Supervisor. During the play, White is currently on trial for the murder of former Mayor, George Moscone and former San Francisco City Supervisor and Representative, Harvey Milk. Milk was the first openly gay politician elected to office in San Francisco and one of the very first openly gay elected officials in the nation. The play centers around the charters involved during the trial of Dan White including Dan White himself. Other characters seen throughout the show include Dan's wife, Mary Anne White; the Court or the Judge; Douglas Schmidt, Dan White's attorney; Thomas F. Norman, the prosecuting attorney; Joan Lu, a television reporter; among a choir of other characters. Various other characters include: Cop, Sister Boom Boom, Jim Denman, Young Mother, Moscone's Friend, Milk's Friend, Frank Falzon, Cyr Copertini, various Psychiatrists, and a plethora of other Witnesses for the People and for the Defense. The play takes place in the San Francisco City Courthouse and recounts the vents of the infamous trial using documented commentaries from the real life participants of the trial.
2. Ball points out that the intrusion sometimes occurs late in the dramatic action. What is the intrusion that breaks the stasis in Execution of Justice and how is it broken?
The intrusion of Execution of Justice is a little hard to determine due to its document based nature. However, the intrusion of the play is arguable the testimony of Frank Falzon and the playing of the tape that was recorded during his interrogation of Dan White. This event that occurs at the end of the First Act can be defined as the intrusion because it acts as catalyst that leads into the rest of the dramatic action that propels the play to answer the dramatic question: will Dan White be convicted of first degree murder for the deaths of George Moscone and Harvey Milk? The playing of this audio is the beginning of the evidence that eventually justifies the jury in convicting White with voluntary manslaughter rather than murder in the first degree. Prior to this point in the play, the action remains unchanged as the characters are used to primarily narrate the events of the murder on November 27, 1978. However, upon the playing of the tape, the play begins to document the defense of murder which eventually leads to the plays conclusion and the voluntary manslaughter verdict. Due to the fact that the action of the play finally begins to pick up and change from the stasis of illustrating the events of the day leading up to the murder, to the actual defense of the murder, it can assumed that the playing of the recording of Dan White's interrogation acts as the play's intrusion.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor that is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place? Hint: what is the heart of the play? How does the title figure in this?
This is the day that Dan White, the former San Francisco City Supervisor, goes on trial for the murder of former Mayor George Moscone and former City Supervisor Harvey Milk, eventually being convicted of voluntary manslaughter and being sentenced to seven years and eight months for the two murders. This acts as a unique factor since the verdict led to riots and protests throughout San Francisco spear-headed by the gay and LGBT community in the Castro neighborhood. Some speculation has been made as to whether a bias and conservative jury led to the voluntary manslaughter verdict due to Harvey Milk's sexual orientation. This is important to note because in the 1970's, having an openly gay elected official was unheard of before Harvey Milk was elected. During this time there was a lot of hostility towards the gay community and the verdict, some speculate, could be a reflection of that hostility.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
The dramatic question of Execution of Justice is will Dan White be convicted with first degree murder in the deaths of Harvey Milk and George Moscone? The intrusion, the playing of White's reordered interrogation, leads the jury to reevaluate the evidence and come to the conclusion that White is innocent of murder in the first degree and decide to instead convict White with voluntary manslaughter, sentencing him to seven years and eight months in jail for the two murders.
5. Use the two lawyers to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, ie. The dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what these particular characters wants. The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles facing each of the lawyers.
The most obvious conflict is the conflict between Schmidt, the defense attorney, and Norman, the prosecuting attorney. This conflict is clearly illustrated through the trial and the various differing opinions of the two men in trying to make it clear to the jury of their side's point. The individual vs. individual conflict is also highlighted through the conflict of Dan White vs. the San Francisco community. Dan White faced animosity from all different groups in the San Francisco due to his actions in killing some of the most celebrated members of the city's community. The conflict and animosity a highlighted by the commentaries of Sister Boom Boom, Moscone's friend, and Milk's friend, all illustrate popular beliefs held by many in the community during, and after the trial of Dan White. The inner conflict between the witnesses, including Mary Anne White, Dan's wife, can be seen as they are forced to make the difficult decision between staying loyal to their friends or telling the truth in court, even if it means potentially betraying their friends and family.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Execution of Justice.
The most theatrical moment in Execution of Justice is the moment that the verdict is revealed. This is the most dramatic moment of the play seeing as the overwhelming majority of not only the people involved in the trial, but also all of the people of San Francisco believed that the verdict would be guilty of first degree murder. The dramatic conclusion and reveal of the voluntary manslaughter verdict is made theatrical through its description of the weeping and facial reactions of both Dan and Mary Anne White. Other theatrical elements are established through the layering of the various characters and their reactions that are ultimately expressed at the same time that the verdict is revealed. Through the reactions of all of the other characters to the verdict of the trial, the sentiments of the people of San Francisco are expressed through the theatricality of the scene.